National Transitional Committee evicted over $6 million in rent arrears

Tut Gatluak, head of National Transitional Committee (NTC) and presdiential advisor on security. [Photo: SSBC]

The National Transitional Committee (NTC) a body tasked to oversee the implementation of the 2018 peace deal, has been kicked out of the South Sudan Hotel for over $6 million in rent arrears.

“It is true NTC has been evicted because they have not been paying their rent amounting to 6 million USD. They have been renting in our hotel for three years now,” a source not been authorized to speak to the media told Radio Tamazuji on Thursday.

Ayii Duang Ayiil, Chairman of South Sudan Hotel Board of Directors on 8th January 2023, wrote to Tut Gatluak, Chairman of NTC notifying him of the closure of the office due to unpaid rent.

“We have closed the offices which were under NPTC due to some challenges that are facing us,” reads part of the letter.

Stephen Par Kuol, the NTC Secretary General and Minister of Peacebuilding disclosed that the commission received an eviction notice from the management of the South Sudan Hotel.

“The NTC itself as with its security mechanism has been evicted from its premises at South Sudan Hotel due to lack of payment,” Stephen said during an RJMEC monthly meeting held in Juba on Thursday.

Stephen admitted that the commission failed to clear its outstanding arrears because the government has not been paying them.

“Because NTC has not received any funding, we failed to pay the rent of our office space inside the South Sudan Hotel. So we are evicted, we have received an eviction note,” he said.

In April 2020, the management of South Sudan Hotel and Palm Africa Hotel kicked out over 38 members of the National Committee over unpaid bills of nearly $2 million.